A wide variety of agricultural implements have evolved that are configured to be self-driven or pulled by a tow vehicle across an agricultural field. These agricultural implements employ various ground working apparatuses with tools that have evolved for use in conditioning and improving utilization of seed beds for planting in various soil conditions.
Particularly in regard to row type planting, ground working apparatuses employ a variety of tools that have evolved to create spaced rows so as to achieve the best possible utilization of the soil area, as well as to allow field trash to pass between the ground working tools while the implement is pulled by a tow vehicle across the field. Towards this end, known ground working apparatuses of tools have been designed to dispense additives in the soil while the implement distributes seed across the field.
One such known ground working apparatus includes a coulter blade and a knife positioned close behind. The coulter blade is generally configured to slice through the soil, crop residue, sod, etc., while the knife following close behind carries a conduit or tube employed for dispensing additives (e.g., liquid or dry fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, etc.) in the soil.
However, known ground working apparatuses that are configured to dispense additives have several drawbacks. For example, these known ground working arrangements typically do not efficiently discharge trash that gets pulled between the coulter disc and the knife. An accumulation of this trash increases opportunities for undesired skidding that diminishes the effectiveness of the rotating coulter blade as it is pulled across the field. Also, a lower end of the knife is customarily integrated with or fixed by a weld to a knife tip that is subject to wear and tear as it is pulled through the soil. Likewise, the conduit or tube mounted on the knife is permanently fixed with a weld to the knife, and is subject to wear and tear in a similar manner as described above in regard to the knife tip. Consequently, the entire knife and conduit arrangement must be replaced periodically.
Therefore, there is a need or desire for a ground working apparatus configured to enhance conditioning and dispensing additives to the soil. The ground working apparatus should be configured to be utilized with a wide variety of agricultural implements. Moreover, the ground working apparatus should be designed so that tools and components that are subject to wear and tear can be readily interchanged.